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Wilderness
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Agriculture: This is the science and
art of farming. Training explores the cultivation of the ground, preparing
the soil, sowing, plant seeds, caring for plants and harvesting the crops
for the purpose of producing vegetables and fruits. Base Skill:
34% + 5% per level of experience.
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Archery: The practiced use of the bow and
arrow and crossbow. The archery skill is effectively a weapon proficiency
with bow weapons. Bonus to strike with bow and arrow/crossbow: +1
at first level plus +1 to strike for each additional TWO levels of experience.
For
Example: Level one, + 1; Level three, +2; Level five, +3 and so on.
Rate of Fire: Two at level one and ONE for each additional Two levels of
experience. For Example: Level one, 2 shots per melee; level three, 3 shots;
level five, 4 shots and so on.
| Bow Types and Ranges S.D.C. Damage Per Arrow |
| Short Bow -- 420 ft 1D6 |
| Large Bow (longbow) -- 700 ft 1D8 |
| Compound Bow -- 800 ft 2D6 |
| Crossbow -- 700 ft 1D8 |
The skill also includes the ability to select the proper wood and make
a quality bow. Base Skill: to make a bow is 40% + 5% per level of experience.
A failed roll means the bow is poorly crafted, is -1 to strike and has
a 50% chance of cracking every time it is fired. A Reminder to hand craft
a bow could take several days weeks, but rarely hours and never minutes
and attacks.
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Boat Building: This skill enables the character
to build a variety of rafts, small rowboats, large flatbed boats, and canoes.
A small raft (two man) can be made within 1D6+1 hours if the lumber or
other suitable materials and tools are readily available. A large raft
will take about 4D6 hours, a canoe 2D6 days, rowboat, 4D4 days, large flatbed
1D4x10 days. Time is doubled or tripled if trees must be cut down and wood
prepared. Of course, the time can be reduced if several knowledgeable people
are working on the construction. A failed skill roll means the boat has
leaks. Trying to patch it will require 4D4 hours. Base Skill: 25%
+ 5% per level of experience.
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Carpentry: A fundamental knowledge of
working with wood. The character knows how to prepare, treat, and preserve
wood, recognize quality craftsmanship, can repair damaged wood and wood
items, and build (chests, chairs, tables, cabinets, houses, etc.). Adds
a +5% bonus to the Boat Building skill if taken.
Base Skill: 25%
+ 5% per level of experience.
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Construction (Wood): This is the knowledge
on how to build and frame houses, decks, storage sheds, and so on. This
also gives the character the knowledge of how to use certain machinery
only used for wood. Base Skill: 30% + 5% per level of experience.
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Dowsing: This is the ability to locate
fresh water whether it be with a divining rod or by more scientific and
logical means. For some (like druids), it is a mystical ability, while
for others (like rangers), it is done through deductive analysis and knowledge
of nature. The percentage number indicates the success ratio of locating
fresh water. A person can roll once every melee to sense water, but must
roll two consecutive successful rolls to locate the water. Base
Skill: 20% + 5% per level of experience.
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Fashion Tools and Weapons: Useful tools
and weapons can be constructed from readily available material. These crude
items are usually made from wood, stone, vines, and bones, and include
making a simple wood and/or stone hammer, club, hand shovel, pick, fishing
hook, bone needle, wooden stake, torch, rope, string, fishing line, simple
flute, blow gun, staff, wooden spear, bola, throwing stick, arrow, short
bow, stone knife, and spear and axe head made from chipped stone. The ability
to fashion tools is a source of pride for jungle tribesman and wilderness
folk. An unsuccessful roll results in a product that is completely useless,
try again. It generally takes about 1D4 hours to make a small, simple item
and 2D4+1 to make a larger, more elaborate item like a stone axe, spear
with a stone head, short bow, etc. Base Skill: 20% + 5% per level
of experience.
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Horsemanship: A familiarity with horses,
how to ride them and take care of them. Riding/care/feeding: A fundamental
knowledge in the care and grooming of horses. Recognize quality/breed:
The percentile number indicates the success ratio of recognizing the quality
(age, speed, health, etc.) and breed (race horse, way, riding, etc.) of
horses in general.
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Jump: The percentile number indicates the success ratio of NOT being thrown
from the horse when jumping (or backing). Character must roll under the
percentage to remain in the saddle and in control.
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(+) Plus to parry and dodge: Applies to the rider, and not the horse. The
rider gains a combat gains a combat advantage from height and speed of
being mounted.
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Charge Attack: Adds +3 to damage with any ancient weapon, -2 to strike
with guns or bow and arrow.
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Horse Attack: Having the horse kick and rear. Two attacks per melee; front
legs do 2D6 damage, rear do 4D6 damage (S.D.C.), unless otherwise stated.
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Bonuses: Attacking while mounted on a horse gives the character the advantages
of height and speed. Plus +1 to parry and dodge, +2 to damage (S.D.C.),
unless otherwise stated.
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Raise/Breeding Horses: This is a fundamental knowledge in the raising,
training and breeding/mating horses.
Base Skill: 40% + 4% per level of experience. A failed roll means
the character fails at what he was attempting. Make control rolls for difficult
moves like charge attacks, leaps, and other sudden movements. A failed
roll means the rider falls off the mount.
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Hunting: The skill of killing and preparing
an animal for food. Special Bonuses: Add the following bonuses to
the appropriate skills: +2% Prowl, +5%
Track
Animals, +5% Skin Animals, +5% Wilderness
Survival, and +5% to Cook the catch only. No base skill.
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Identify Plants & Fruits: Training in the
recognition of the many different types of plants and vegetation and where
they grow. The emphasis is placed on edible, herbal and poisonous plants.
Base
Skill: 25% + 5% per level of experience.
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Land Navigation: This skill enables the
person to stay on course while traveling over land by means of observation.
It includes mentally marking/recognizing geographic landmarks, estimating
distance and movement, recognizing sounds, night travel, and other navigational
tricks. The player should roll once for approximately every three miles
traveled. A failed roll means the character is drifting off course; 2D10x100
yards/meters. Consecutive failed rolls means the individual does not realize
that he's off course and continues in the wrong direction.
Note: A group of average men can cover about five miles
an hour at a brisk, but relaxed, pace through grassland, along dirt roads
or pavement. Travel through dense forest or jungle at a cautious pace,
with eyes open for danger, is about one mile an hour. Heavy rain or snow,
fog, swamps, etc., will also reduce speed.
Base Skill: 36% + 4%
per level of experience.
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Oceanic Survival: Surviving without a ship
at sea is a specialized skill, since the seas of a fantasy world are often
quite hostile. Those with this skill know how to avoid being sucked down
with a sinking ship, how to select and assemble the best driftwood and
scrap for a raft, and how to float without exerting themselves (not the
same a swimming) for hours at a time. Once the survivor has something to
hold on to, it becomes possible to survive for days at a time, but only
if you know how to get fresh water (from fish, certain types of seaweed
and condensation of dew on cool metal surfaces), as well as how to keep
from being attacked or eaten by sea predators. Characters without this
skill, or without help from someone else who has the skill, will likely
perish immediately, or within hours. Note: Once on land, even the tiniest
island, the skill of Wilderness Survival takes over. Base Skill:
27% + 3% per level of experience.
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Preserve Food: Knowledge in the preparation
of foods for storage and later consumption. Includes canning fresh fruit
and vegetables, making jams and honey, drying fruit, vegetables, and herbs,
drying meat and fish, plus various smoking, salting, and pickling methods.
Base
Skill: 25% + 5% per level of experience.
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Rope Works: This is a skill that takes into
account the various needs and uses of rope. The character knows a variety
of ways to tie knots, the advantages to various types of ropes and cords,
their tensile strength and how to weave/make rope. A failed roll to tie
a knot means that it is loose and sloppy and easy to untie, slip out of,
or likely to unravel or snap when strained.
Base Skill: 30% + 5%
per level of experience. Characters bound/tied by this character are -10%
to escape/slip knots.
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Sculpting & Whittling: The art of molding
or carving a three dimensional figure, object or design out of clay, stone
or wood. The percentile number indicates the quality of technique and appearance.
Taking the skill twice indicates a professional quality and gets a bonus
of +10%. Selecting it once, indicates a talented amateur. Base Skill:
30% + 5% per level of experience.
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Sense of Direction: A simplified version
of the Land Navigation skill. The character has the ability to tell which
direction he or she is traveling, relative to a specified point. Base
Skill: 15% + 5% per level of experience.
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Skin and Prepare Animal Hides: Training in
the methods and techniques in skinning, tanning, stretching, and preserving
animal hides as fur or leather. Adds a +5% bonus to the sewing skill. Base
Skill: 30% + 5% per level of experience.
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Tame Animals:
| First percentile: Capture roll |
| Second percentile: Tame/train roll |
| Capture &/or tame creatures with animal intelligence (6 or below) |
| Time Requirements: 1D4 weeks +1 week per I.Q. point. |
Base Skill: 25%/30% + 5% per level of experience.
Requires:
Track or Track Animal, Ride Animal (if to be ridden) and the language to
which it will respond.
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Track Animals: This skill enables the character
to identify an animal by its tracks, scent, spoor, and habits. The individual
can also follow the animal's tracks and other signs. This means he can
also estimate how fresh the tracks are, what direction they are heading,
whether the animal is hurt or sick, and guess it's age. The habits and
habitats of animals and animal behavior are also learned.
Tracking humans with this skill is also possible, but is done
with a penalty of -20%. Base Skill: 20% + 5% per level of experience.
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Track & Hunt Sea Animals: General knowledge
of the oceans and seas, with an emphasis on undersea habitats and environments,
and the types of fish and animals attracted to such places. The character
knows where to look for particular types of fish and sea creatures (i.e.
in coral reefs, under rocks, inside caves in warm water, cold water, etc.),
the types of food the sea animals eat/prey upon, migration patterns of
fish and sea mammals, and notable types of seaweed and their uses (edible,
poisonous, etc.). Base Skill: 35%/35% + 5% per level of experience.
The first number is the general knowledge, and the second is the character's
ability to locate and capture small and large undersea creatures (crustaceans,
fish, eels, sea mammals, etc.). Note: -20% when dealing with mutants
and alien creatures.
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Trap Construction: Training in the design
and application of traps and mines used in anti- personnel and defense
tactics. With readily available materials and simple tools, including shovels,
knives, sticks, wire and rope, the character can build fiendish traps.
Any who would scoff at the effectiveness of traps in modern mega-damage
combat should reconsider. While traps may not damage M.D. equipment, unless
the trap is augmented with explosives (requiring the Demolitions skill),
simple pits can hamper, even immobilize, troops and robot vehicles by making
them unable to climb out (will earth walls support the weight of a several
ton robot trying to climb out? Not likely). Other traps can be used as
alarms (triggering flares, video cameras, or simply producing noise), or
even as diversions to distract the enemy while the character escapes.
The greatest drawback of traps lies in the amount of time required to prepare
them. It can take hours to prepare rock slides, large pits, etc., even
with heavy equipment. But, even this time can be shortened with help from
others, as only one character needs the skill, in order to successfully
direct others in the traps' construction. Ingeniously prepared traps can,
and often do, shift the advantage of a battle to the side that prepared
the field for combat. See the Appendix for examples of most common types
of traps. Base Skill: 20% + 4% per level of experience. |
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Trap/Mine Detection: Knowledge of the
strategic placement of booby traps and mines, the tell-tale trademarks
and indications of traps and mines, how to avoid them, and the use of mine
and explosive detection equipment. The character has been trained to watch
for suspicious objects, dirt mounds, trip wires and camouflaging materials
that may denote the presence of a trap. Simple snare traps and trip wires
can be easily disarmed by the character, but the demolitions disposal skill
is required to disarm mines, explosives, or complex traps. Base Skill:
20% + 5% per level of experience for detecting by visuals alone. Add +50%
when using special detection equipment to locate mines and explosive traps,
+10% if the trap isn't a mine or explosives, but using metal (such as a
trip wire) as part of the trap. Note: See the Rifts World Book 11
description of this skill for rules on training some Dog Boy types to sniff
out traps.
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Undersea & Sea Survival: Includes
a basic knowledge of what sea animals and fish are edible and easiest to
find and catch, how to make simple fishing hooks and lines, dangerous predators
and D-bees to avoid, how to protect oneself from the sun, water and food
rationing, and fundamental survival techniques. Base Skill: 25%
+ 5% per level of experience.
Note: At the G.M.'s option, this can
be included as part of a character’s basic wilderness survival skill. This
is especially likely of Navy men, sailors, pirates, sea druids, ocean wizards,
and aquatic D-bees.
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Underwater Navigation: This skill is
the deep sea version of land navigation. The character can identify his
whereabouts, direction, traveling speed, and stay on course by means of
observation. This method includes mentally marking and recognizing underwater
landmarks (mountain ranges, reefs, sunken wreckage, cities, animal habitats,
etc.), as well as noting the direction of currents, tides, determining
the time of day, recognizing sounds, surface landmarks, the positions of
the stars and sun, and other navigational tricks. The character should
roll once for every ten miles traveled in order to stay on track. A failed
roll means he is drifting off course by 1D6x100 yards/meters. Consecutive
failed rolls means the individual does not realize that he’s off course
and continues in the wrong direction. His course can only be corrected
when he makes a successful roll. Base Skill: 30% + 4% per level
or experience.
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Winter Survival: This skill involves
learning to survive in arctic or Antarctic conditions, building Igloos
and snow caves, spotting thin ice and crevices, and techniques to stay
warm. Base Skill: 40% + 5% per level of experience.
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